Transfer disabling mechanism



, Aug. 12, 1969 L. J. SUNDBLOM 3, 6

TRANSFER DISABLING MECHANISM Q I I Filed Feb. 1, 1967 5 Sheets-Sheet 1, I

FIG-3- II/ II/I/l/l/l/ INVENTOR. LEIF J. SUNDBLOM BY WMVWI ATTORNEYS L. J. SUNDBLOM TRANSFER DISABLING MECHANISM Aug. 12, 1969- 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 1, 1967 INVENTOR.

LEIF J. SUNDBLOM WM W ATTORNEYS Aug. 12, 1969 L. J. SUNDBLOM TRANSFER DISABLING MECHANISM Filed Feb. 1, 1967 INVENTOR.

5 Sheets-Sheet 3 LEIF J. SUNDBLOM BY ATTORNEYSv L. J- SUNDBLOM TRANSFER DISABLING MECHANISM Aug. 12, 1969 Filed Feb. 1, 1 967 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. LEIF J. SUNDBLOM BY MJ/ PIQ-MrPMW ATTORNEYS 1,. J. SUNDBLOM 3,461,281

TRANSFER DISABLING MECHANISM Aug. 12

5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INYFNTOR. LEIF J. SUNDBLOM W M/ ATTORNEYS Filed Feb. 1, 1967 United States Patent i US. Cl. 235-144 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE In a pinwheel-type transfer mechanism for a counter, the pinwheels are freed for resetting purposes and then reengaged with the transfer mechanism while the transfer finger is disabled by a latch arrangement so that no transfer entry is made on the higher-order pinwheels following the reset operation.

Background of the invention This invention relates to transfer mechanisms of the pinwheel type, and more particularly to a mechanism which allows the resetting of the transfer mechanism without energy of a higher-order count.

Transfer mechanisms of the pinwheel type are described in US. Patent No. 2,289,869 to William F. Berck. These mechanisms basically operate on the principle of a cam follower on the lower-order wheel riding along a snail cam on the lower-order wheel. When the cam follower rides off the end of the snail cam, a transfer arm advances the next-higher-order pinwheel one count by engagement of its transfer finger with a pin of the higherorder pinwheel. On the return movement of the cam follower, the transfer finger ratchets back down over the next succeeding pin of the higher-order pinwheel.

It is sometimes desirable to reset a mechanism of this type by spring-driven apparatus such as, for example, that described in copending applications Serial Nos. 605,- 689 and 613,333, filed December 29, 1966, and February 1, 1967, respectively; the latter now issued as US. Patent 3,371,860. In that case, it is essential that the least possible resistance be opposed to the resetting movement of the wheels, quite aside from the fact that the resetting movement is preferably carried out in a backward direction, which is impossible as long as the transfer mechanism remains engaged.

Summary of the invention The present invention enables the transfer mechanism to be totally disengaged during the resetting movement; and furthermore, if all the dials are reset to zero as they should be, it prevents the transfer mechanism from entering a higher-order count during its reengagement with the pinwheels following a resetting operation.

It is therefore the object of this invention to provide a pin-type transfer mechanism which is fully disengageable from the pinwheels during a resetting operation.

It is another object of this invention to provide a latch mechanism which provides the transfer finger in a mechanism of the type described from advancing the higherorder wheels upon reengagement of the transfer mechanism following a resetting operation.

Brief description of the drawings FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an apparatus of the type involved in the invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevation view showing the condition of the apparatus while the lowest-order wheel is in the 9 position and counting;

FIG. 3 is a section along line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an end view of the device of FIG. 2;

3,461,281 Patented Aug. 12, 1969 FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but showing the mechanism with the lowest-order wheel in the zero position and counting;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but showing the mechanism in the position it occupies during the resetting operation; and

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but showing the mechanism following a resetting operation at the moment when the transfer finger is about to become unlatched and to resume its active position.

Description of the preferred embodiment Referring to FIG. 1, the device embodied in the present invention is generally shown at 10. The counter 10 may be equipped with a pair of sets of indicating dials 12, 14 which may indicate, for example, price and gallonage. The indications of the dials 12, 14 are visible through windows 16. Control lever 18 may be provided by resetting the dials 12 and 14 to zero following, e.g., a delivery of fluid.

In FIGS. 2 through 7, only the left-hand array of dials 12 is shown for clarity. It will be understood that the righthand array 14 operates in the same manner.

The array 12 is composed of a lowest-order dial 20 and a pair of higher-order dials 22, 24. The dials 20 through 24 are keyed, respectively, to pinwheels 26, 28 and 30. Each of the pinwheels 26 through 30 carries ten pins 32. Snail cams 34 are associated with all pinwheels except the highest-order pinwheel 30. Riding on the snail cams 34 are cam followers 36 equipped with rollers 38 and pivoted on a stud 40 mounted in frame 42. A disengaging arm 44 and a transfer arm 46 are keyed to the cam follower 36 and move with it. As the count of the lowestorder dial 20 proceeds through increasing numbers, the roller 38 is gradually positioned outward by the spiral surface 48 of snail cam 34. The pressure of roller 38 against surface 48 under the influence of spring 50 causes the snail cam 34 to move clockwise as far as it can go under the restriction of pin 52 mounted on the pinwheel and slidable in slot 54 formed in the snail cam 34.

As the lowest-order wheel reaches a count of 9, the parts are in the position shown in FIG. 2. In that condition, the transfer arm 46 and the transfer finger 56 of the lowest-order wheel are out of engagement with the pinwheel 28. Pinwheel 28 is held in its position by engagement of its pin 58 with the surface 60 of anti-reversal pawl 62, which is urged into engagement with pinwheel 28 by its spring 64. The pin 58 is biased against surface 60 by the clockwise bias exerted by the engagement of roller 38 of the middle wheel with surface 48 of its snail cam 34, that bias being transmitted to the pinwheel 28 through the interaction of slot 54 and pin 52 of the secondorder wheel.

Coming back now to the lowest-order wheel 20, it will be seen by studying FIG. 5 that as the lowest-order dial 20 reaches the zero position, roller 38 of cam follower 36 rolls over the edge of the snail cam 34 and kicks the snail cam 34 counterclockwise until the pin 52 reaches the other end of slot 54. This results in a sudden clockwise movement of cam follower 36 about stud 40. As a result, the surface 66 of transfer finger 56 engages pin 68 of the second-order pinwheel 28 and snaps it upward by one count until pin 70 of pinwheel 28 abuts against the arcuate surface 72 of transfer arm 46 which has moved into its way simultaneously with the movement of transfer finger 56. The counterclockwise movement of pinwheel 28 during the count is allowed by the inclined surface 74 of the anti-reversal pawl 62 which rides up over pin 76 during the counting movement against the bias of its spring 64.

As the count on the lowest-order dial 20 continues, cam follower 36 once again resumes its counterclockwise movement about stud 40. During this movement, transfer finger 56 ratchets over pin 70 against the bias of its spring 78, the transfer finger 56 being pivoted on stud 80 mounted on transfer arm 46. While the count on the lowest-order dial 20 proceeds from zero to 9, the transfer arm gradually moves downward from the position of FIG. to the position of FIG. 2, where it is then ready for another count on second-order dial 22.

If it is now desired to reset all the dials to zero, the control lever '18 (FIG. 1) is actuated in an appropriate manner. The control lever 18 is so connected to shaft 82 that its movement results in turning shaft 82 counterclockwise from the position of FIGS. 2 and 5 to the position of FIG. 6. Through the intermediary of pin 84 moving in slot 86, this results in the arm 88 being pivoted about stud 90 in a counterclockwise direction. During this motion, pin 92, movable in slot 94, pushes slide 96 to the right. It will be understood that slide 96 is mounted in guides 98 so that it can move only horizontally.

During the latter part of its rightward movement, surface 100 of slide 96 engages roller 102 mounted at the lower end of disengaging arm 44. The resulting counterclockwise movement of disengaging arm 44 about stud 40 also causes cam follower 36 and transfer arm 46 to swing to their position of FIG. 6. The latter movement has two consequences: the cam follower 36 engages pin 104 of anti-reversal pawl 62 and pushes it clockwise about stud 106 against the bias of spring 64 until its surfaces 60 and 74 have swung entirely out of the way of pinwheels 28 or 30, respectively. At the same time, the transfer arm 46 and transfer finger 56 are swung away from pinwheels 28 and 30, and rollers 38 are no longer engaged with the snail earns 34. In this condition, all the pinwheels and dials are free to move in either direction and are held only by the detent 108 which has a light bias spring 110 and does not substantially interfere with the motion of pinwheels 26 through 30. The function of the detent 108 is simply to hold the pinwheels 26 through 30 against spurious shifting under the influence of vibration.

During the counterclockwise motion of the transfer arm 46 under the influence of the rightward movement of slide 96, the surface 112 of transfer finger 56 slides along the fixed stud 1114. The resulting pivotal movement of transfer finger 56 in a clockwise direction about stud 80 causes pin 116 mounted on transfer finger 56 to depress the latch 118 by pushing down on its surface 120 and causing it to pivot in a counterclockwise direction about stud 122 mounted on transfer arm 46, against the bias of spring 124. Eventually, pin 116 rides off the end of surface 120 and comes to rest against surface 126 of latch 118 as shown in FIG. 6.

Following a resetting operation, all the dials are in the zero position. Consequently, when the resetting operation is terminated and the motion of shaft 82, arm 88 and slide 96 is reversed, the cam follower assembly 36, 44, 46 returns to its most clockwise position under the influence of spring 50. As the transfer arm 46 moves upward during that time, pin 116 of transfer finger 56 is caught on surface 126 of latch 118, and hence its surface 66 is entirely to the right of the arc described by the arcuate surface 72. Hence, transfer finger 56 clears pin 70, and no count results. As soon as the surface 66 of transfer finger 56 has passed the pin 70 (position of FIG. 7) the surface 128 of latch 118 abuts against stud 114 and the resulting counterclockwise movement of latch 118 with respect to transfer arm 46 results in pulling surface 126 away from pin 116. As soon as pin 116 rides off the edge of surface 126 and back onto surface 120, the transfer finger 56 snaps back into its normal position under the influence of its spring 78, and the mechanism is back in the condition of FIG. 5.

-It will be seen that the above invention provides a simple and effective way of disabling the transfer counter mechanism during a resetting operation and reengaging the transfer mechanism without creating a spurious count on the higher-order wheels.

Obviously, the teachings of this invention can be carried out in various ways, of which the embodiment described herein is merely illustrative without departing from the spirit of the invention.

- I claim:

- 1. A transfer disabling mechanism for inwheel-type counters having a cam follower, transfer arm, transfer finger and anti-reversal pawl, comprising:

(a) means operable upon occurrence of a reset operation for disengaging the transfer finger from the pinwheels so as to leave the pinwheels free to rotate; said means being arranged to cause said transfer arm to go through a counting motion at the end of said reset operation; and

(b) means for holding said transfer finger against transferring a count to said pinwheels during said counting motion of said transfer arm.

2. A mechanism according to claim 1, in which said first-named means include means actuated by a reset operation for swinging said cam follower, transfer arm assembly, and anti-reversal pawl out of the way of said pinwheels.

3. A mechanism according to claim 2, in which said reset operation-actuated means include slide means releasably engageable with said cam follower and transfer arm assembly of each stage simultaneously.

' 4. A mechanism according to claim 1, in which said last-named means include:

(a) latch means;

(b) means for engaging said transfer finger in said latch means upon disengagement of said transfer mechanism and holding it in a disabled position; and

(c) means for releasing said transfer finger from said latch means upon completion of the transfer mechanism reengaging movement.

' 5. A mechanism according to claim 4 in which said latch means is pivoted on said transfer arm; and further including stud means cooperating with said transfer finger during the disengaging movement to disable and latch the same, and with said latch means during the reengaging movement to unlatch said transfer finger.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,289,869 7/1942 Berck 235l34 2,332,199 10/1943 Bliss 235-131 X 2,572,015 10/1951 Devanney 235l3l FOREIGN PATENTS 352,008 3/ 1905 France.

RICHARD B. WILKINSON, Primary Examiner 5 STANLEY A. WAN, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 24041, 47, 52 

